


of things acquired

by evanescent



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, now iwaaka have their obligatory coffee shop au you don't have to thank me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 01:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6099793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evanescent/pseuds/evanescent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter brings Akaashi Keiji a new study in coffee, friendships and crushes.</p><p>Turns out it's not as bad as it sounded.</p>
            </blockquote>





	of things acquired

Akaashi likes simple things in life: sleeping in on lazy mornings, nanohana with karashi mustard dressing, documentaries about owls and other birds of prey. However, enjoying some of those simple things is bound to be complicated having certain friends.

It’s Saturday morning, probably barely after nine, when Bokuto comes crashing into Akaashi and Kenma’s room, screeching from the get-go, “Akaashi! I’ve got great news for you!”

Reluctantly stirring awake as Bokuto bounces excitedly on his bed, Akaashi sighs and squints. “Bokuto-san, Kenma and I asked you to knock before you come in,” he reminds his friend, looking over to his roommate’s already empty bed. Bokuto’s cheeks are reddened, though most likely from being outside just a few moments ago. “What’s the big news?” he prompts.

“Say, you are still looking for a job, aren’t you?” When Akaashi nods, Bokuto gives him a grin. “Well, one of guys at the cafe resigned and Ukai is looking for someone new, so I thought about you! You should consider it, Kuroo and I will be sure to recommend you.”

“I don’t really have any job experience, let alone at coffee shop,” Akaashi reminds him. “I’m not sure if Ukai-san would be willing to take in a greenhorn.”

“But you’re dependable and quick to learn,” Bokuto counters with certainty. “Considering how often you hang out at Crow Cup, he surely can expect that much from you.”

Akaashi just hums at that, but he appreciates the sentiment. Maybe. Probably.

After considering the following pros (decent wage, mostly good-natured co-workers and staff, a promise of quick and effective training at coffee-making, flexible hours giving him possibility to adjust shifts according to his classes and other activities, access to more caffeine) and cons (some stress, dealing with rude and coffee-depraved customers first thing in the morning, as well as spending even more time with Bokuto and Kuroo – for some reason, they find it offensive, claiming that it should be considered the biggest advantage), taking into consideration the fact he needs money, Akaashi resigns himself to a sigh.

 _Time to embrace the winter in your bones, Keiji_.

…

Two weeks, three broken cups and a bunch of terribly sweet coffee look-alikes later Akaashi finds himself wearing a black apron and standing behind the counter in the Crow Cup Cafe. This isn’t his first shift, but it’s the first one he actually spends as a barista and what more, with both Bokuto _and_ Kuroo. He hopes it won’t end badly for anyone involved; after all, it would be unfortunate if he and Kenma had to look for new flatmates.

First hour goes by surprisingly smoothly; Kuroo takes the orders if he’s not busy giving them out or cleaning tables, Akaashi makes them and occasionally passes to customers who go to pay to Bokuto at the register. It’s late afternoon, not a particularly busy one, and Akaashi finds himself relaxing among friendly jabbing behind the counter, humouring his friends’ antics from time to time with a well-placed, deadpan remark.

It must be quite windy and cold outside because for each time the door opens, Akaashi feels a faint gust of chilly November air pinching the skin of his exposed neck. He ponders making himself tea.

“Iwaizumi!” Bokuto exclaims and Akaashi turns to see a somewhat familiar boy coming over to the counter; he’s wearing warm, dark blue jacket, his scarf is ruffled around his neck and flushed cheeks. His black hair is a little messy and he doesn’t really help it by running a hand through it as he gives Bokuto a small nod, his eyes flickering over to regard Akaashi as well.

“Hey, long time no see,” he says in a rough but warm voice. “You were absent from our last Calculus class, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, I had a doctor appointment then and had to make it up by attending other group,” Bokuto answers, scrunching up his nose a little. “Turns out most of them didn’t even _want_ to take advanced calculus. It’s sad, you know?”

Akaashi thinks it’s because they are reasonable people who value their mental stability, but doesn’t voice his opinion on the matter, instead watching as corners of Iwaizumi’s mouth twitch in amusement. “Yeah, how weird of them,” he agrees and turns his attention to menu, apparently not finding fancy drinks appealing as he lowers his eyes. “Akaashi, right?”

“Iwaizumi-san,” he greets. Bokuto and Iwaizumi share some classes despite different majors, the mentioned Calculus for example; Akaashi recalls seeing Iwaizumi over at their shared apartment once or twice, but never really engaging in a conversation with him. “What can I get for you?” he asks, since Kuroo’s off in the back on his break.

“Double espresso, the biggest cup,” he replies after a moment, face dead serious.

Akaashi nods and goes to prepare the drink. “Sounds like you have a rough night ahead of you, Iwaizumi-san.”

The other snorts at that. “You could say. I have to finish two projects for Engineering class for tomorrow. So, it’s either an all-nighter with this or a mix of coffee and energy drink.”

“Ah, _that_ kind of night,” Akaashi hums in understanding, thinking about the deadline for his next essay and wincing slightly. He passes the big cup to Iwaizumi who says quiet thanks, pays up and waves them goodbye, stepping back outside.

Akaashi shivers a little.

…

“I’m glad Kuro has a shift on the register, he’s insufferable today,” Kenma comments when Akaashi comes over to his table with a new cup of hot chocolate. His friend looks at him, thankful, and mutters, “I wish Shouyou were here.”

Akaashi offers him a small smile before cleaning nearby tables. They are closing in half of hour and he’s glad for it; the day was busy and Kuroo is sort of especially hard to stand today as he keeps using bad pickup lines on Sawamura who is standing by coffee makers, arms crossed over his chest, apparently not amused. Akaashi can’t really blame him.

The bell chimes as the door swings open and Akaashi briefly looks over his shoulder. “Ah, Iwaizumi-san, welcome.”

Iwaizumi greets him as well before making his way to the counter.

“Iwaizumi, my man, great timing!” Kuroo turns to him with a grin that somehow doesn’t falter upon seeing Iwaizumi’s expression and Akaashi is pretty sure he’s giving Kuroo a plenty doubtful look, like every sane person would. And Iwaizumi seems pretty sensible. Kenma sighs quietly from his spot by the window. “Tell me what you think about this one, alright? _Are you Tokyo Tower? Because your legs sure–_ ” he doesn’t finish, though, because Daichi assaults him by throwing a plastic cup in his face.

“Don’t aggravate our regulars,” Sawamura says before nodding at Iwaizumi. “The usual?”

That’s Sawamura for you, Akaashi thinks, watching Daichi prepare the beverage; he draws a line between annoying, although harmless antics among the staff and the customers, which is understable, considering his character and the fact he’s got the longest experience here.

“I don’t understand how can you drink this,” Kuroo scoffs from where he’s leaning his hip on the counter. “Black coffee, no sugar, cream, milk, _anything_. It makes sense when it comes to Akaashi, since it represents the permanent state of his soul, but I thought you had a little more life in yourself, Iwaizumi.”

Akaashi shoots Kuroo a flat look. “You ought to come up with something more creative, Kuroo-san, this got old at least two years ago.”

“But hey, it’s true!” Kuroo exclaims, giving Iwaizumi his change.

“Black coffee isn’t that bad,” Iwaizumi states, taking a sip from his cup. “Keeps me awake and sane, so I can get through the day without killing my professors or Oikawa.”

“This sounds like a decent solution,” Sawamura snorts. “It’s getting late, though, it will keep you up now.”

“College life,” Iwaizumi deadpans. Akaashi thinks he couldn’t agree more.

…

The next time he sees Iwaizumi, Akaashi is having his rare register shift and it doesn’t escape Iwaizumi’s attention.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you at this spot yet,” he remarks, borderline teasing. Almost like he knows something.

“I’m not too fond of up-close dealing with customers,” Akaashi states simply and pauses. “Also, maths.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Akaashi wonders if he should be angry at Bokuto about passing such vulnerable information about him to other people, but then he actually eyes Iwaizumi’s order and arches an eyebrow.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you order something with sugar yet, Iwaizumi-san,” he muses out loud, voice dry.

At least this time, it’s Iwaizumi who seems somewhat flustered. He shrugs, giving Akaashi exact sum.

“It’s worth trying something new once in awhile, don’t you think?” he asks, leaving Akaashi to consider this question.

…

It’s getting colder and more often than not, a lot of students frequent the cafe before or after classes. Iwaizumi does, too; he’s usually in mild rush, rarely staying, but their brief, polite exchanges of a few words start to turn into small conversations and Akaashi stores up some facts about Iwaizumi to his mind’s content: he likes his major, but misses the time for playing volleyball, enjoys fantasy movies and novels, has a surprising thing for spicy-sweet food. These are mostly small things, nothing special, but he enjoys keeping them, even if there probably won’t be any use for them in the future.

It’s on Akaashi’s birthday when the first snow falls and it’s almost mesmerizing. He glances at the world outside every now and then, paying more attention to white puff building up on the sidewalks and streetlamps than to customers coming in. That’s why he almost misses Iwaizumi as he steps in, shrugging off snow and for once, he’s not alone; a tall man with chocolate hair and glasses, dressed in a long, grey coat is by his side, lightly bouncing in his steps. Both of them eye Akaashi, Bokuto, Kuroo and even Kenma, who’s sitting by the counter, somewhat critically, though it’s hard to blame them, seeing as all four of them are wearing funny birthday hats.

“What’s the occasion?” Iwaizumi asks, amused.

“It’s Akaashi’s birthday!” Bokuto exclaims, throwing an arm around his shoulders as Akaashi hisses, “Bokuto-san, please don’t do that when I’m counting coins.”

“Oh,” Iwaizumi says, blinking once, before looking over at Akaashi and flashing him a really pretty smile. “Happy birthday then.”

“Thank you,” Akaashi answers quietly, averting his gaze back to the register, his cheeks definitely feeling a bit warmer than before.

“Well, we would have liked to take the birthday boy somewhere, but unfortunately, we are here instead.” Kuroo tilts his head. “So, Iwaizumi, Oikawa, what will it be?”

“Frapuccino, please!” the taller man says immediately and yelps when Iwaizumi flicks his on the forehead.

“Dumbass, this isn’t Starbucks,” he mutters, exasperated and fond, a combination Akaashi finds familiar and somewhat endearing.

Oikawa sighs dramatically so. “Alright, I will do with hot chocolate, then.”

“Um… two black coffees with cinnamon,” Iwaizumi orders, causing Kuroo’s questioning look and general bewilderment.

A few customers come in after that; Akaashi is officially introduced to Oikawa with an accompanying wink and a wave of a hand as Iwaizumi pays for all three coffees, rolling his eyes at his friend. Akaashi fishes for change, but Iwaizumi stops him short.

“That’s fine, consider it a tip or something,” he says, sounding so normal about it. And then, almost bashfully, he pushes one of the cups to Akaashi. “Coffee is for you, too. I know you drink it black exclusively, but I think you should try something new. Cinnamon is a good going, actually, and it’s healthy, unlike sugar.”

Oikawa seems like he’s about to say something, but Iwaizumi gives Akaashi a small nod and drags his friend away, so Akaashi only manages to catch, “…lame, Iwa-chan, tip and coffee, he works in a cafe!” Akaashi appreciates the gesture, however; thinking pragmatically, extra money is always good, he thinks he will spend it on some onigiri. Coffee, on the other hand… He knows Kuroo is a good barista, having started working here before Bokuto, but he eyes the cup doubtfully. Maybe he should tell Iwaizumi that the next time, he should switch things up with hot chocolate – not that he thinks there will be next time, of course.

He ends up taking a sip, even if only because Kuroo seems torn between giving him a sly look and wearing a pouting, hurt expression. The cup rests against Akaashi’s lips and stays there, however, as the realization sinks in. Coffee is okay, good even, but he thinks about _trying something new_ Iwaizumi has mentioned twice already.

Maybe he found an answer to his question.

…

Week before Christmas, Akaashi comes down with a bad case of a flu. He ends up missing out on almost all of his classes after Kenma drags him out from their shared Design class and calls Kuroo to drive him home. There Bokuto, very attentive, tugs him into bed and makes him soup, but even joined efforts of his friends can only do so much as they have their own matters to attend to. Therefore, when he’s awake and conscious, Akaashi finds some consolation in silently imaging the scenarios in which the world may end, putting him out of his misery.

It lasts for an agonizing week, but then he wakes up one day without feeling like he wants to watch everything burn the same way his throat does. Akaashi considers it to be an improvement.

His first shift after that is on a surprisingly slow Christmas morning with Ukai, owner of the shop. He rarely takes actual shifts or comes by, sometimes making Akaashi wonder how exactly he trusts them not to bring his place to ruin. It’s probably because he puts around ninety-nine percent of the said trust into Sawamura and miraculously so, all their antics haven’t backfired yet. Still, Akaashi considers it to be a pretty risky gamble.

“If this goes on like this, I will let you out in an hour,” Ukai says, running a hand through his hair. “We are closing earlier, anyway.” He stops for a moment. “I will be in the back, I haven’t had a smoke all morning.”

Akaashi watches him go, somewhat amused by Ukai’s directness and his bad habit kicking in. Nevertheless, it’s a little boring sitting all by himself behind the counter and that’s why he’s actually glad when the door open and he offers a usual greeting, just then seeing it’s Iwaizumi.

“Oh, Akaashi,” Iwaizumi breaths out, pulling off a beanie. “It’s good to see you. Are you feeling alright yet?”

“Thank you, I’m fine now. My desire to see the world spontaneously combust has subdued due to this fact.”

Iwaizumi blinks at him and laughs, as on cue. Akaashi has seen Iwaizumi smile, chuckle or giggle quite a lot of times – some of them, caused by his own doing – but just now, he realizes it’s the first time he has heard him honest-to-God laughing. Akaashi has never voiced this sentiment out loud, but he likes watching his friends laugh when they are truly amused and happy; Bokuto, as expected, does so with his whole body, loud, bright and not in the slightest mindful of how people may stare at him; Kenma is the master of quiet snickers and giggles, but when he actually laughs, his whole face seems to light up and his cheeks puff out slightly; Kuroo seems strangely softer when he’s laughing, with wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and a crooked smile.

Laughing somehow softens Iwaizumi, too; maybe it’s because he’s usually serious, focused or deadly tired, maybe it’s because, for all how Akaashi finds him attractive, he seems the most beautiful when he’s happy, with how his white teeth flash between his parted lips and his eyelids fall closed. That’s definitely something (Akaashi’s heart _doesn’_ t skip a beat at the intrusive realization, because that would be ridiculous) he would like to see more often.

“I missed your dry sense of humour, you know?” Iwaizumi tells him as he regains his composure, although smile is still sitting on his lips.

“I’m sorry, but I actually do my best to stay hydrated,” Akaashi deadpans and that gets Iwaizumi to snicker again.

“Okay, sassy, too,” he admits, sliding into the stool by the counter. Iwaizumi rarely does that, but he seems to have time and will to do so. “Do you think you could make me one of these fancy Christmas drinks you are offering? The merry-something one?”

“Sure, Iwaizumi-san,” Akaashi says, not questioning Iwaizumi’s choice. There’s a faint sense of comfort and adequatness in this scene; it’s both familiar and not, almost a completely new thing to Akaashi – but it feels right – as he hands the cup to Iwaizumi who offers him thanks and asks about the last days and plans for Christmas.

“Ah, nothing special, I suppose,” Akaashi hums. “I will visit my sister since she’s in Tokyo before New Year, but other than that…” he trails off, shrugging as he puts his forearms on the counter. It will be a little lonely in the apartment, too; Kenma’s going to Miyagi to visit Hinata, Kuroo plans on spending most of the time with Sawamura, Bokuto’s going to attend his cousin’s wedding. Akaashi supposes he will find peace in watching old movies or something akin to that.

“Oh, I see.” Iwaizumi pauses for a moment; with the way how his fingers tighten around the cup it almost like he braces himself for something. “So, if you don’t have plans, maybe you would like to, um, spend some time with me? Today, for example?”

Akaashi freezes in place, carefully observing as Iwaizumi moves his hands to play with the sleeves of his shirt; there may be a blush at the back of his neck, too. As cliche as it sounds, a lot of things fall into place and Akaashi thinks, _Oh_.

“Are you asking me out, Iwaizumi-san?” he questions with a smile once the initial shock passes, leaving warm, fuzzy feelings in its place.

Iwaizumi doesn’t falter, even if he seems somewhat nervous. He simply nods, eyes not leaving Akaashi’s.

“I would like to, actually,” he says then, his voice soft and honest. The way Iwaizumi’s face lights up at that makes him clear his throat, suddenly embarrassed. “Um, I still have some shift left, though…”

“That’s fine, I can wait.”

Akaashi excuses himself for a moment, planning to fetch Ukai from his break, so he could go to the bathroom and splash his burning face with cold water, but instead, he practically stumbles into Ukai just by the doorframe.

“Sorry, sorry,” the man says, sounding not that sorry at all. “You know, Akaashi, you can go even earlier than I said, I will manage,” he continues with a grin that has Akaashi narrowing his eyes at his boss. “Oh, come on, I’m not heartless. Besides, you should have seen Iwaizumi dropping by during the week you were absent. He actually seemed _disappointed_ by the fact that it was Sawamura who was taking or making his orders, not to mention Kuroo or Bokuto. And he was sticking to his regular black coffee, too.”

That makes Akaashi feel a pleasant tingle of surprise and fondness. He thanks Ukai and takes off the apron to put on a coat. A few minutes later he and Iwaizumi are going down the practically empty street, watching puffs of their breath forming in the air.

“Don’t you have any hat?” Iwaizumi asks him after a moment.

Akaashi shakes his head, scarf tickling his cheeks. He hasn’t been wearing them since the last year at high school, come to think of it.

“That’s probably one of the reasons you got sick,” Iwaizumi states, frowning. His gloveless fingers twitch before he reaches with his right hand to Akaashi’s wrist, giving him choice to pull away. When he doesn’t, Iwaizumi laces their fingers together and carries on, “Come on, we’re going to buy you a beanie or something.”

“Iwaizumi-san,” Akaashi starts, but pauses. Maybe going to buy a horrible winter hat isn’t the most romantic idea for a first date, but the way Iwaizumi’s fingers seem to fit between his effortlessly makes up for that.

..

Akaashi’s shift has ended, but he’s still at the shop, watching Kenma play his new game as he quietly talks about the time he had spent with Hinata in Miyagi.

“Kenma, want more capuccino?” Daichi asks, deliberately ignoring as Kuroo and Bokuto compete somewhere behind him over which one of them can balance a plastic spoon on his nose for longer. “You’ve been eyeing your cup for awhile now.”

Kenma startles a little. “Um, yes, thank you.”

“You need to say these things, you know, I don’t always catch on like Kuroo does,” Sawamura reminds him patiently. Kenma is vaguely embarrassed by the attention, but doesn’t seem to mind that much.

“Could you make me caramel latte, Sawamura-san?” Akaashi asks and all heads turn to him; even Kenma pauses his game. “What?” he asks, frowning slightly.

“Akaashi, you ordered something that isn’t black coffee,” Bokuto gapes, ignoring the spoon somehow still plastered to his nose.

“And latte, nonetheless,” Sawamura adds in awe.

Kuroo crosses arms over his chest, expression wistful. “Ah, young love… Makes people do so many reckless things.”

Akaashi may blush faintly, but his voice is flat and dry as he says, “I may have done something out of ordinary, but don’t think I won’t trip you on your way back, Kuroo-san.”‘

“Please don’t, there still may be some use for him in the future,” Daichi mutters, only for Akaashi and Kenma to hear.

“Why does no one believe me when I tell them you and Kenma are actually the most evil out of all of us?” Kuroo whines, affronted.

This earns him some chuckles as Bokuto tries to console him. Akaashi’s phone vibrates and he checks to see texts from Iwaizumi, _Sorry, Oikawa kept me up and he’s actually coming to the cafe with me, I apologize in advance_ , followed by, _Date after we ditch them all later?_ He smiles, replies with, _Great idea_ , and tucks his phone back into the pocket.

Akaashi thinks to himself that embracing new things this winter turned out quite fine.

**Author's Note:**

> there's no reason behind this fic tbh i just wanted to write a cliched coffee shop au for a rare pair and iwaaka is a beautiful rare pair (that deserves +3,5k words of cliched coffee shop au though arguably from some better writer than me but still) put up a banner if you agree
> 
> (kudos to you if you caught on kenhina and kurodai. i'm always weak for them)
> 
> ((also watch this being my 4th hq fic but i still haven't published anything about my actual otp lmao))


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